Happy Birthday #1

In just a couple of hours our first born will be 15! Fifteen! Or as her 4yo brother says, "five-teen". How can it be? We've found that parenting a teenager is a very humbling experience. And, bless her heart, she has always had to be the guinea pig of our parenting experiments. But she is forgiving and patient and makes our job much easier. Here are some things about my 15yo...

She is BEAUTIFUL and graceful.

She has a flair for style.

She's got a great sense of humor and keeps us all laughing at the funny things she thinks.

She loves junk food (just like me) but tries hard to eat healthy.

She is wise with her money.

Star Wars and movie making are tops on her list of fun things to do.

Among her talents are writing and piano.

When she is sick, she is never in a bad mood.

When she is in trouble, she never pouts but gets over it quickly.

She is compliant.

She babysits and has 1 piano student.

She is learning to drive...YIKES!!

When God gives you girls first it is such an added blessing. I don't know how we could ever manage without her. She is my right arm...my "wife" as Honey calls her. She is capable in so many ways and helps us in just about every area of family life.


So her meals for tomorrow are:
Breakfast...orange rolls and blueberry french toast casserole
Lunch...pizza
Dinner...chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and salad with boiled eggs
Dessert... chocolate peanut cluster cake and vanilla ice cream.

This has been a good year of growth for her. The best thing I have seen in her this year is her increased willingness to apologize when necessary. She is growing in humility. She also accepts correction well and tries to practice what she's been taught. That is good to see.

I have found that it is just as exciting to watch an older child grow as it is to listen to your baby's first words or cheer on her first steps. This year I've been able to help her to form ideas that will grow into her own adult opinions. I'm also watching her learn to interact socially on a more mature level. It is neat to see how she is maturing and I'm so proud of the young woman she is becoming.

Happy Birthday #1 ! We LOVE you!!